MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. First deputy head of the United Russia faction in the State Duma Franz Klintsevich has dismissed as dim-sighted the intention of new Polish President Andrzej Duda to offer German Chancellor Angela Merkel to step up pressure on Russia.
Andrzej Duda intends to discuss with the German chancellor the ways to increase pressure on Russia during his visit to Berlin on Friday. He said as much in an interview with the German Bild newspaper published on Wednesday.
"The leaders of Poland and Estonia sacrifice their countries’ long-term interests for the sake of misinterpreted short-term benefits," Klintsevich said. He noted that "Poland was another headache for Germany." "While German Chancellor Angela Merkel, including at the recent tripartite meeting on Ukraine in Berlin, speaks about her country’s desire to normalize relations with Russia, the Polish president declares just the opposite. In Russia, such actions are called nudging, and to call a spade a spade, instigation," the lawmaker said.
Klintsevich added that "unfortunately, Poland was not alone in its desire [to increase pressure on Russia]." Estonia acts in the same vein by announcing its plans to build a fence on its border with Russia. In both cases, the two countries are trying to whip up anti-Russian hysteria, which, the Polish and Estonian leaders believe will push into the background their internal problems," he said. But these problems will be still there, and the losses are inevitable, the lawmaker noted. "Only shortsighted politicians may sacrifice their countries’ long-term interests for the sake of misinterpreted short-term benefits," Klintsevich said.